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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23251060">Permanent Head Damage (Ph.D.)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_and_thyme/pseuds/stories_and_thyme'>stories_and_thyme</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hoenn!Gloria, Hoenn!Victor, Identical Twins, In a way, M/M, Masaru | Victor and Yuuri | Gloria are Twins, Scottish Yuuri | Gloria, Trans Female Character, Trans!Leon, University, accent wise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:08:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23251060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_and_thyme/pseuds/stories_and_thyme</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Four years have passed since the Second Darkest Day and Hop, a strapping almost eighteen year old, has been accepted into Wyndon University (the equivalent of Oxford) based on his excellent work under Sonia as her assistant! This is of course, a dream come true for him! However he find the pressure of aiming to become the youngest Pokémon Professor so very daunting and he refuses to seek out help. Will he burn out or find that maybe asking for help isn't so bad?<br/>(Main ships include: trainshipping, truerivalshipping, and gothgfshipping)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beet | Bede &amp; Hop, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop &amp; Mary | Marnie, Hop &amp; Yuuri | Gloria, Hop/Masaru | Victor, Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria, Rurina | Nessa/Sonia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Permanent Head Damage (Ph.D.)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Dedicated to my older brother who nearly burned out trying to get his Ph.D early but luckily he persevered!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hop sat in heavy silence as he waited on the train. He hadn’t told anyone he’d be leaving today-- not even his own mother who no doubt would be beyond angry with him for taking off just like Leon had done all those years ago. But this was different. He wasn’t running away like Leon, he was simply getting a head start on his future. Without his brother. Or his mother. Or his friends. Though, it was hard to tell if he had friends nowadays with how much time he put into his studies.</p><p> </p><p>But he wasn’t running away, that was for sure!</p><p> </p><p>As the sun slowly moseyed its way up into the sky he watched trees pass rapidly out the train’s window. He blinked once. Then twice. And on the third blink, he felt the exhaustion of waking up at three in the morning to hurry and pack his belongings in order to catch a five o’clock train catch up to him. Gently his eyes fluttered closed and didn’t reopen for another four hours.</p><p> </p><p>————</p><p> </p><p>When Hop has been accepted into Wyndon University he hadn’t expected in a million years that while exiting the Wyndon train station he’d be met with a face full of the two Pokémon Champions of the region. Well, he was met with a face full of Gloria, the ultimately more popular champion, as Victor hung in the background talking to the hoard of reporters asking questions too fast for Hop to catch.</p><p> </p><p>“Oi! Welcome to Wyndon,” she cried cheerfully over the clamoring crowd and camera shutters. “I’ve missed you terribly you know?” He blinked. He hadn’t known that. In fact, they hadn’t talked in months and he’d simply figured it was because she had no interest in being friends with him anymore. “Well don’t just stand there, let’s go.” She reached for one of his bags and winced at the weight. Calling over her shoulder she yelled, “Victor, make yourself useful, eh? Get ov’r here and help Hop with his luggage.”</p><p> </p><p>In a seamless trade-off, Victor switched places with Gloria and she finished whatever sentence her brother left hanging in the air leaving the reporter, holding a microphone in the air, pleasantly surprised at the smoothness of it all.</p><p> </p><p>Victor gave a modest smile and said, “ ‘Ello mate.”</p><p> </p><p>Hop felt his mouth go dryer than Route 8. It had been a long time since Hop had seen Victor and if he was being honest, he thought it would be an even longer stretch before he saw the Champion again. He had so much to say to Victor and he simply couldn’t say it with a hoard of media vultures in the background. So instead of saying anything he stayed silent and gave a little nod of acknowledgment.</p><p> </p><p>“Missed you,” Victor said in his signature curt way. He never did talk much-- not unless he was in front of a camera.</p><p> </p><p>Hop’s brain lagged. He missed him? Victor missed him? He had missed Victor! He didn’t dare say it out loud though and instead quirked his lips upward.</p><p> </p><p>Picking up the luggage with ease Victor turned back to his sister with a grin. Gloria with great grace and skill waved the reporters off and together the two Champions parted the sea of people leaving Hop to trail behind them.</p><p> </p><p>Elegance seemingly rolled off them as people made space for them. Victor gave handsome smiles to the girls and women who swooned as he passed and Gloria blew chaste kisses to the boys and men. They were the region's most beloved heart-throbs despite also maintaining a family-friendly, wholesome aura. </p><p> </p><p>The duality of the twins was something many public figures took years to master and some sold their souls to achieve. </p><p> </p><p>Hop wondered when the siblings had both begun to really play up the god-like champion status-- or perhaps that was just his own brain telling him that they were elevated to much higher ground than him. He found himself doubting his own perception of his childhood friends and that only made him more uncomfortable as he walked through the mass of people. </p><p> </p><p>“So, where ‘are we goin’ to drop ‘ya off at?” Gloria asked once all of Hop’s bags made it into the back of their chauffeur’s sleek obsidian car.</p><p> </p><p>“Um,” he said. He hadn’t thought about it really. He had come three days earlier than his dorm even opened and was planning on just staying at a hotel but now that he thought about it he didn’t exactly have Wyndon hotel money just laying around ready to be used. This city wasn’t cheap, you know.</p><p> </p><p>He settled on, “You don’t have to take me anywhere I can just walk where I need to be.”</p><p> </p><p>Victor frowned. “You have no place to go?” Though phrased like a question Hope knew it wasn’t one. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I left earlier than my mum was expecting and the dorms aren’t ready to move into until--”</p><p> </p><p>Gloria let out an offended gasp. “Dorms? Why would ‘ya ever live in a dorm? You can get an apartment surely what with all th’ money your broth’r has got.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t need an apartment,” he said mildly. Yes, he could have gotten an apartment but he didn’t see the need for it, really.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, ya don’t need to be living in a dorm either,” she said with a disapproving glare.</p><p> </p><p>“Well it’s the only place I have to go so--”</p><p> </p><p>Victor cut in, “Stay with us.”</p><p> </p><p>“What mate?”</p><p> </p><p>“Stay with us,” he repeated. “Gloria and I.”</p><p> </p><p>Gloria’s eyes brightened at the idea. “Oh, great idea! We have a guest room in our apartment all ready for you too!”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Keep up,” she chastised. “I said we had a guest room available. You can jus’ stay with us! That’s a perfect idea, Victor. Glad to see your brain hasn’t gone to total mush after havin’ to hold a conversation with reporters.” </p><p> </p><p>She then whispers towards Hop. “He’s usually totally brain dead after talkin’ to ‘em. Like a real-life zombie.”</p><p> </p><p>“No ‘m not!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, but ‘ya are!”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, don’t make fun of me!”</p><p> </p><p>“I do it ‘cause I luv ‘ya.”</p><p> </p><p>“You do it because you’re a bully,” Victor countered. Gloria reached over her seat to give him a kiss on the cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes I am a bully but I only bully ya out of luv. It’s different dear.”</p><p> </p><p>Hop never had this kind of relationship with his sibling. Leon was much older than him, seven years to be exact, and by the time Hop grew big enough to even get close to keeping up with Leon’s boundless energy the older brother had already gone and made himself the youngest Champion the region had ever known.</p><p> </p><p>Leon was always untouchable and Hop hadn’t known any other way to view a sibling. But whenever Hop saw Victor and Gloria he couldn’t help but long for a timeline where Leon didn’t become Champion, or maybe waited a few years before taking off on his adventure-- all so Hop could be closer to him. All so Hop could feel like he had a brother and not a distant idol in his family.</p><p> </p><p>“Mean,” he spat out.</p><p> </p><p>“Only to ‘ya my dearest little brother,” She cooed.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a menace."</p><p> </p><p>He rolled his eyes and told their driver, who had been sitting and waiting rather patiently, to drive them back to their Penthouse in Wyndon. It was a quick drive, only eight minutes but to Hop, it felt like an eternity as he kept stealing glances at an obvious Victor who chatted with his sister mindlessly.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Before Hop knew it he was in the foyer of the sibling's apartment with his bags at his sides. It was a sleek modern apartment with multiple levels as most Penthouses tend to have. Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald vases, bowls, and other fancy trinkets littered the house as a tribute to the Hoenn region where the two Champions grew up.</p><p> </p><p>Everything looked so expensive and well-preserved. Hop was a bit of a klutz and he feared if he dared move even the tiniest bit he would knock something over.</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon now, don’t be shy,” Gloria said with a smile. “Look around, it’s gonna be your home for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“Only until school’s in session,” Hop reminded her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” She rolled her eyes playfully and poked his side. “Or you could stay for the whole semester. Victor would love that, wouldn’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>Victor nodded nonchalantly and picked up all of his guest’s bags ready to walk out of sight-- presumably off to the guest room.</p><p> </p><p>Hop couldn’t help but mention how strong he’d gotten. It was a point of jealousy.</p><p> </p><p>Gloria agreed. “Yeah, yeah. Since getting half of the title he’s been working out a lot more. I think he’s planning on taking me down in a physical fight to make him the only Champion,” she joked.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think he could?”</p><p> </p><p>“Take me in a fight? Nah mate, he may look tough now but he’s still as soft as ever.”</p><p> </p><p>“Couldn’t hurt a fly…”</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>Silence took over the two of them and eventually Gloria-- someone always needing stimulation-- couldn’t handle it anymore so she walked off in search of something new to occupy her time, leaving Hop standing in his friend’s foyer without the faintest idea as to what to call the situation.</p><p> </p><p>A few moments later Victor reentered and noticed his sister's absence. “Gloria left?” He asked pointing to the door.</p><p> </p><p>“No, no. She just went somewhere else in the house, she’s still here.”</p><p> </p><p>He nods. “Oh, that’s good. Lately, she hasn’t been home much and I wonder where she goes sometimes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you’re champions right mate? You aren’t normally home anyway. I see you guys on T.V. like every hour.”</p><p> </p><p>With wide, shiny eyes he said, “You watch me?” Note how Victor didn’t say ‘You watch us’ he said ‘You watch me.’ The personal implications of such words left Hop with a funny feeling in his gut.</p><p> </p><p>With a blush engulfing his features Hop looked away from his friend. “It’s hard not to mate. You’re on all the time like I said.”</p><p> </p><p>“Still,” Victor said with a smile, “that’s very sweet of you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever you say, mate,” he deflected with a bit of difficulty. The sincerity in the other’s voice was nearly too much.</p><p> </p><p>“So how long are you studying at Wyndon University?”</p><p> </p><p>“In about two years I should have the Ph.D. and I’ll be done”</p><p> </p><p>“Arceus, Hop that’s amazing. In two years you’ll be Professor Hop! Incredible! Wouldn’t that make you the youngest person ever to become a Pokémon Professor?”</p><p> </p><p>Preening at the praise Hop noded. “Yes, it would make me just that. But I’d have to actually graduate on time.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can do it! I’ll be cheering you on!”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, Vic.”</p><p> </p><p>“For what,” Victor raised an eyebrow at the statement.</p><p> </p><p>“For not making this weird.”</p><p> </p><p>Victor’s second brow rose and his shock was evident. “Why would it be weird?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you know…” Hop trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I don’t.”</p><p> </p><p>“We haven’t talked in nearly a year,” Hop said as if it should be obvious. “I figured we wouldn’t be comfortable talking like we used to. But I was clearly wrong, and you-- like usual-- were right. Or just oblivious, I don’t know.” He shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Grabbing his hands, Victor squeezed tightly and said with his eyes trained on the other, “You are my best friend Hop. We could go decades without talking and It wouldn’t matter. We’re always going to be friends.”</p><p> </p><p>With a shaky breath, Hop quietly let out a soft laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Got that mate?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, Vic. I got it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you believe it though?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, but I’ll say I do for your sake.”</p><p> </p><p>Victor squinted at Hop and shook his head in a disbelieving sort of way. “So tell me more about Wyndon University’s P.h.D. program,” he said and sat down on his living room couch. “What are you going to be doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Um,” Hop brought his index finger up to his chin in thought. “A whole lot I should think. I’m mostly going to be studying Dynmaxing and whether or not Gigantamax can be achieved for all Pokémon as well as if people can breed-specific Gigantamax forms.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gigantamax forms can change,” the male champion stuttered out in surprise. This was the first time he was hearing of something like that.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes--!” Hop said excitedly then he cut himself off with a groan. “Well, sort of. Kind of. Maybe? It’s just a theory at this point but I think I can make it scientific law, I just need to focus!”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding with great interest Victor listened to Hop continue to ramble about his theory. If he was being honest, Victor had never been interested in science but when Hop spoke about his passions Victor found himself listening intently. </p><p> </p><p>Hop spoke at great lengths about his ideas and while Victor couldn’t even begin to comprehend the words the other spoke he encouragingly interjected when appropriate and pretended he understood.</p><p> </p><p>At some point, Gloria wandered into the living room and saw how helplessly her brother was staring at Hop. She thought he really had no right to be so shamelessly into Hop like that-- it just was depressing how hard Victor had fallen for Hop and yet he still didn’t know it!</p><p> </p><p>At some point years ago she had brought up his crush on Hop and he had the gall to not know what she was talking about! He was a useless, idiotic mess.</p><p> </p><p>“What are ya talkin’ ‘bout,” she asked and slid up beside Victor.</p><p> </p><p>Animatedly Hop all but screamed out, “Gigantamaxing! And my upcoming research with it. Wyndon is really giving me free-range with how to research for my dissertation and so I’m going to be doing a lot of field stuff as opposed to being stuck up in a lab all day! It’s going to be great.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh,” she nodded politely “Y’know, I always thought that Professor Magnolia-- both the Senior and Sonia-- had done all that could be done with Dynamaxing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gloria, there’s a difference between Dynamax and Gigantamax…”</p><p> </p><p>“Wot!?” She shouted, legitimately shocked.</p><p> </p><p>“How on earth,” Victor asked incredulously, “are you Champion if you didn’t know that there was a difference between those things? How are we at the same level?”</p><p> </p><p>Hop failed to stifle a laugh and doubled over. “Did you not know that? For real? Mate, how could you be so clueless?”</p><p> </p><p>Blushing she turned her head away from the both of them. “Oi! I won’t be made fun of in my own house. You,” she pointed to Hop with an accusatory finger, “can git right on out if this is how yer gonna treat me!” Her Postiwck accent always got stronger when she got flushed or upset.</p><p> </p><p>“Teasing, he’s only teasing!”</p><p> </p><p>“Well ‘m not! So wot I didn’t know there was a difference? I could still wipe yer ass from here to Kanto, Victor! Don’t mess with me!”</p><p> </p><p>He snorts. “Big talk coming from someone who has never won a match against me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you’ve never won a match against me either!”</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t you guys always ending in a draw because you’re equals,” Hop said, putting his hands up to silence the two twins. “That just means that if Gloria didn’t know this common piece of knowledge then you,” he jabs Victor, “must not know some other common knowledge. Don’t get so high up on that horse mate.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ha!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hop,” Victor whined as Gloria laughed at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just saying. Equal exchange and all that. Scientific. Trust me, I’m a scientist.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the worst Hop.” But Victor had said it with a wide grin so he knew it wasn’t the truth.</p><p> </p><p>“I sure am, mate. I sure am.”</p><p> </p><p>Without warning, Hop’s phone shook violently and then the Rotom that inhabited it brought it up and out of his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>“What the--? I thought you we're on silent…” </p><p> </p><p>Rotom, with great alarm, said, “Incoming call from: Mom”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t answer!” Hop yelled sternly at the machine and it followed directions but with a very miffed expression. </p><p> </p><p>Rotom then said, “You have one voice mail message from: Mom. I would listen to it if I were you, she is very upset.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t tell me what to do,” he grumbled and grabbed his phone to shove it back into his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them sat in silence for about ten seconds before Gloria asked, “What was that about?”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t tell my mom I was leaving this early so she’s probably calling to see if I left already.”</p><p> </p><p>“You ran away?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not running away if she knows where I went,” he said defensively.</p><p> </p><p>She sighed. “I guess not…”</p><p> </p><p>Victor asked, ”but what if she wanted to say goodbye?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m still going to come home to visit and stuff. I’m not just disappearing to Wyndon. I’m not pulling a Leon alright, mate? I’m just-- look. I’m not running away. Got it?”</p><p> </p><p>The twins shared a look between the two of them. It conveyed a lot of different things but the main message was clear. They didn’t believe him. Hop was most definitely running away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How the Galar School System Works According to Me:<br/>A student starts school at age three and spends a year in Kindergarten. Then First Grade (age 4-5), Second Grade (age 5-6), Third Grade (6-7) Forth Grade (age 7-8), Fifth Grade (8-9), and finally Sixth Grade (age 9-10). From there a child has completed all mandatory school requirements and could legally go off on their Pokémon Journey. However most children do an extra three years school (not mandatory but highly encouraged) and leave for their Journey when they are thirteen or fourteen.<br/>At age 13 a child can begin the college process and earn a bachelor's degree, all the way up to what we might call a masters degree. Most children do not go off to college though and instead join the workforce. University is where you can get Doctorate Degrees and you must already have a masters degree. Hop, is a smart cookie and has his Masters in Pokémon Studies already.</p><p>{ if you enjoyed what you read give me a kudos and write a comment! it makes writers day when you comment! }</p></blockquote></div></div>
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